1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the loading and unloading of solid-waste materials, and more particularly to an apparatus for extruding and compacting the material loaded within a refuse-transporting vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As is well known in the art, various problems and difficulties are encountered in providing suitable means for loading waste materials in a compact form into a refuse-pick-up vehicle or the like. There are also problems in providing a suitable means for discharging the materials stored in such a compact manner, particularly where the material is compacted in trailer-cargo containers having from forty to fifty feet in length.
Due to the ever-growing requirements created by environmental restrictions, the necessity for clean, sanitary, economical and efficient refuse-disposal methods is becoming increasingly critical in larger metropolitan areas. Thus, as the population increases in any given urban area, increasingly larger quantities of refuse are collected. Therefore, trash trucks and other waste-material-collection vehicles must be provided with means to increase their loads efficiently by new compacting arrangements; and they must also be capable of discharging their loads in an efficient, complete and simple manner.
Various types of vehicles and their associated apparatuses, including trash-transfer stations, have been and are still being used. However, these vehicles and their related devices have features that either limit their use or make them obsolete due to the large increase in waste materials.
As examples of several types of known transfer and compacting apparatuses, there are disclosed the following U.S. Patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,059,789 is a movable blade that operates by means of a cable and a hydraulically actuated winch.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,129,657 discloses a pusher plate actuated by a cross parallel arm assembly operably connected to a cylinder-piston unit, which is a typical operational device.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,443,702 there is illustrated a pusher plate which is directly connected by a hydraulic cylinder 36.
The arrangements as disclosed in the above latter two patents limit the vehicle storage container in that it is restricted in the length of the cylinder stroke.
Thus, from the following disclosure it will be apparent that the present invention is capable of efficiently operating within a cargo container of fifty feet and over in length, with a thrust force heretofore not possible with other actuating devices.